One Line or Two?

One of the most impressive of the special vestments worn by the High
Priest was the tzitz, a pure gold plate placed across the forehead. Engraved
on the tzitz was the phrase, “Holy to God.”

According to Talmudic tradition, these words were split into two
lines. God’s name appeared on the top line, and underneath was written,
“Holy to.“ In contradiction to this tradition, however, Rabbi Eliezer
testified that he had seen the tzitz among the plundered Temple articles in
Rome — and the engraving was made on a single line (Shabbat 63b).

Why should the phrase “Holy to God” be split into two lines?
And if that was the way the inscription was supposed to be engraved, why
did the actual tzitz used in the Temple bear the entire phrase on one line?

The Realm of Kodesh Kodashim

We are accustomed to viewing the world as being divided into two
realms: kodesh and chol, the holy and the profane. We are deeply aware of this
dichotomy, and the friction between them, in all levels of existence: in our
actions, feelings, thoughts, areas of study, and so on. The conflict between
sacred and secular exists both in our private lives and in the public sphere.

There is, however, a third realm, even higher than kodesh. This is
the level of kodeshkodashim, the ‘holy of holies.’ This is the very source of
holiness, and it is based on both kodesh and chol.
While the realms of kodesh and chol appear to us as competing and contradictory,
in fact, each one
complements and supports the other. The holy gives meaning to the
profane; without it, the world of chol is lost, without direction or purpose.
And the profane gives strength and substance to the holy. Without it, the
kodesh has nothing to refine and elevate.

The lofty realm of kodeshkodashim is attained by the
complementary interactions of kodesh and chol. This level reveals the
common source of elevated holiness that resides in both kodesh and chol. In
fact, kodeshkodashim is so much higher than the other two realms, that,
when viewed from such heights, the differences between the holy and the
profane disappear.

The Oral Tradition states that God’s name was engraved on a
separate line above the words, “Holy to.” In other words, God’s name
belongs to the exalted world of kodeshkodashim. Since it reflects a vision
far beyond the apparent contradictions of holy and profane, it could not
be written on the same line as “Holy to.”

Distinguishing Between Kodesh and Chol

This elevated outlook is, however, only theoretical. In our world, it is
crucial that we distinguish between kodesh and chol. Humanity’s moral
development depends on havdalah, a clear awareness and distinction
between what is sacred and what is not.

Furthermore, if we do not separate these two areas, and ensure
that each one maintains its independence, both kodesh and chol will suffer.
Lack of clear boundaries between them greatly hinders human advance.
For example, cold academic analysis and dissection of Torah subjects can
leave them lifeless and dismembered. Religious encroachment on secular
areas of study, on the other hand, can obstruct scientific progress
(consider Galileo’s struggles with the Church). Therefore, in practice it
was necessary to lower God’s name on the tzitz to share the same level as
“Holy to.” In this way, the holy is set apart from the profane.

Still, the potential to perceive the inner unity of kodesh and chol
was — at least theoretically — engraved on the High Priest’s forehead-plate,
raising his thoughts to the unified reality of kodeshkodashim, where God’s
name is inscribed above and beyond the kodesh.